Convicted Orem sex offender pleads not guilty to molesting teenager at LDS church

An Orem man accused of sexually assaulting a teenager multiple times after meeting through an online game pleaded not guilty to eight felony charges in 4th District Court on Wednesday.

Christopher Jeremy “CJ” Prue, 27, was arrested in June and charged with child kidnapping, sodomy of a child and two counts of rape of a child, all first-degree felonies, as well as four counts of unlawful sexual activity with a minor, all third-degree felonies.

On Wednesday, he appeared in 4th District Court in Provo and pleaded not guilty to all charges. The next court hearing is scheduled for Sept. 25.

According to court documents, Prue contacted a 12-year-old boy through an online Pokemon game in 2014. Between 2014 and 2018, Prue reportedly sexually assaulted the boy in a church parking lot and at the boy’s home.

As the father of the boy was serving as a bishop in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Prue reportedly convinced the boy to obtain a key to a church building and would sexually assault him inside the facility, charges state.

During interviews with detectives, Prue reportedly admitted to the allegations and stated the assaults ended in 2016. However, investigators learned he had been texting and using social media to try and meet with the teenager again.

This is the second time Prue has been arrested for sexually assaulting a minor. In 2016, he was arrested and charged with molesting a 14-year-old boy who lived near Alpine.

Charges state Prue met the teenager in 2013 through social media apps. The teenager told investigators that Prue gave him gifts, including sex toys, and sometimes paid him for sexual acts.

Prue pleaded no contest to one count of unlawful sexual activity with a minor, a third-degree felony, and the remaining nine felony charges were dismissed. He served one year in jail and was still on probation when he was arrested in June.

If convicted, Prue would face 25 years to life in prison for each first-degree felony. He is currently being held without bail at the Utah County Jail.